In modern society, there is a plethora of devices designed to increase human physical activity levels. It is well known, that obesity rates have been steadily on the rise worldwide, while concurrently, the average time that people spend in sedentary pursuits, e.g., sitting at a desk, watching television, and working on a computer have likewise been increasing. In terms of combatting obesity, and the loss of overall health and fitness generally, there are myriad exercise devices, sporting equipment, training devices, vibrational platforms, and the like that are available in the market. A common theme among this disparate collection of devices is—movement, that is, getting the body moving improves health.
In terms of exercise equipment—treadmills, elliptical trainers, stationary bicycles, miniature trampolines, stationary cross country ski devices, stationary skating surfaces, are but a few of the types of devices that individuals have been using for many years to engage in cardiovascular exercise. “The notion that regular aerobic exercise reduces cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the general population as well as in patients with coronary artery disease is strongly supported by evidence derived from epidemiologic studies. Physically active people also experience fewer clinical manifestations of coronary artery disease than do less active men and women. By contrast, sedentary life-style has been identified as a risk factor for development of coronary artery disease, and there is a strong correlation between physical inactivity and cardiovascular mortality.” Niebaur, Josef, MD and Cooke, John P. MD., Cardiovascular Effects of Exercise: Role of Endothelial Shear Stress , JACC Vol. 28, No. 7, 1652, 1652 (December 1996), the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Toward this end, there has been an increased number of individuals choosing to work at standing desks as a way to reduce the amount of time they are seated at a desk. In a Mar. 26, 2014 article, Smithsonian.com wrote “There was a time when standing desks were a curiosity—used by eccentrics like Hemingway, Dickens and Kierkegaard, but seldom seen inside a regular office setting. That's changed, in large part due to research showing that the cumulative impact of sitting all day for years is associated with a range of health problems, from obesity to diabetes to cancer. Because the average office worker spends 5 hours 41 minutes sitting each day at his or her desk, some describe the problem with a pithy new phrase that's undeniably catchy, if somewhat exaggerated: ‘Sitting is the new smoking’” http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/five-health-benefits-standing-desks-180950259/?no-ist
The Smithsonian article goes on to cite medical evidence that shows that standing desks lower mortality rate and reduce the risk of: (1) obesity; (2) Type 2 diabetes and other metabolic problems; (3) cardiovascular disease; and (4) cancer. Id.
Along with the increase in popularity of standing desks, there has also been an increase in accessories that accompany standing desks, such as anti-fatigue mats or exercise devices that can be paired with a standing desk. Anti-fatigue mats provide support for an individual's feet, while relieving pressure on the heels, back, legs, and shoulders, which in turn helps the person stand for longer. While an anti-fatigue mat can decrease the amount of overall body discomfort experienced by an individual while standing without walking or otherwise moving for extended periods of time, the individual will still experience foot, heel, back, leg, and shoulder pressure as the amount of time at the standing desk increases. This is because anti-fatigue mats provide cushioning that conforms to a wider area of an individual's foot surface, thereby spreading the application of forces across a person's foot. Although this cushioning allows individuals to stand longer, cushioning is not an obvious means of relieving pressure on the back, legs and shoulders.
An alternative to using an anti-fatigue mat is to pair a standing desk with an exercise device. Some standing desks come with a built-in treadmill. Stand-alone treadmills, elliptical machines, and stationary bicycles are also currently available to be paired with a standing desk. Although these exercise devices allow an individual to move, thereby assisting return of venous blood and lymph fluids from the feet and lower legs to the heart. Many users may find it too physically challenging to walk on a treadmill, ride a stationary bike, or pedal an elliptical trainer while simultaneously concentrating on the work they have before them.
Most people require a significant amount of training before they can simultaneously balance, move, and perform intellectual tasks. Moreover, some of these exercise devices are heavy and bulky and therefore do not lend themselves to being transported to an alternate working space if an individual is traveling outside of his or her ordinary office space. Additionally, some users may find that the amount of physical effort required to walk on a treadmill or pedal a bike or elliptical trainer distracts from their ability to concentrate on the work that they have to get done. Furthermore, if the physical effort is too great, individuals may begin to perspire, which could be undesirable at work.
Turning to a different type of movement—it is known that whole body physical acceleration increases the production of the circulatory mediator nitric oxide. Several inventors and doctors have published material describing the beneficial effects of whole body physical acceleration. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,438,696 to Koonar entitled “Physical Therapy Platform Assembly,” the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, discussed how astronauts used a vibratory platform, which caused their muscles to contract in response to the vibrations, as a means of retaining muscle strength while spending extended periods of time in space. U.S. Pat. No. 7,438,696, Col. 1:16-31.
While this type of vibratory platform may be beneficial for the highly unique circumstances of weightlessness, most people experience discomfort caused by the unnatural and unhealthy forces, such as the feeling of having their eye balls rattling within their heads, when using the vibratory platforms. This discomfort is not necessary for individuals living on earth because physical acceleration under gravity induces forces on fluids and on particles borne within body's vessels that are necessary for signal transduction responsible for increasing enzymatic production of nitric oxide. The nitric oxide produced therefrom influences many outcomes in muscle tissues, especially as a result of subsequent increases in fluid volumes moving through vessels as a consequence of nitric oxide-mediated dilatation of vessels.
In U.S. Pat. No. 7,404,221 to Sackner, entitled “Reciprocating Movement Platform for the External Addition of Pulses to the Fluid Channels of a Subject,” (“'221 patent”) the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, Dr. Sackner noted that “[p]eriodic acceleration through nitric oxide release from activation of eNOS suppresses activity of nuclear factor kappa beta. This was recently demonstrated in a sheep model of asthma, which is an example of a nuclear factor kappa beta disease. Periodic acceleration (pGZ) stimulates NO release from endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) through pulsatile shear stress.” '221 patent, Col. 13:4-10. The process that leads to dilation of vessels can also alter activities of cell surface signaling proteins, as given by the example of nuclear factor kappa beta.
“This is important because large amounts of nitric oxide are released after strenuous exercise in professional football players and other athletes that are associated with severe muscle cramps. Therefore, periodic acceleration can mitigate skeletal muscular cramps during an athletic event, and help to prevent muscle strains during an event as well as delayed onset muscular soreness (DOMS) and involuntary muscle cramps and spasms immediately following the athletic event and delayed until the sleeping hours. It has been found that an additional periodic acceleration treatment administered four to eight hours after the athletic event provides even better relief than a single pretreatment in relieving nocturnal muscle cramps.” '221 patent, Col. 19:39:51.
“Activation of eNOS to release small quantities of nitric oxide preconditions the heart against the adverse effects of compromise of the blood supply to the heart that produces myocardial damage. Periodic acceleration activates eNOS through increased pulsatile shear stress and, as such, is means to precondition the heart.” '221 patent, Col. 20:11-16.
“Based upon animal experiments, upregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase activity should increase the number of mitochondria present in skeletal muscle cells. In turn, heat production is increased within these cells thereby improving sports performances.” '221 patent, Col. 20:30-34.
“Since many athletic venues do not permit effective drugs for the treatment of asthma because of [sic] they also improve performance unrelated to alleviation of asthma, pretreatment of such athletes can be accomplished with periodic acceleration to prevent exercise induced asthma. Here, the beneficial agent, nitric oxide is generated from the athlete's own body. Physical activity protects against ischemic stroke via mechanisms related to the upregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in the vasculature. In wild-type mice that performed voluntary training on running wheels or exercise on a treadmill apparatus for 3 weeks, respectively, ligation of the middle cerebral artery was associated with reduced cerebral infarct size and functional deficits, improved endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation, and augmented cerebral blood flow. The neuroprotective effects of physical training were completely absent in eNOS-deficient mice, indicating that the enhanced eNOS activity by physical training was the predominant mechanism by which this modality protects against cerebral injury.” '221 patent, Col. 20:46-65.
“In summary, periodic acceleration treatments administered prior to an athletic event minimize delayed onset of muscle soreness (DOMS) and nocturnal muscle spasms. An additional periodic acceleration treatment administered four to eight hours following cessation of the athletic event provides even further relief. Periodic acceleration administered prior to strenuous athletic events minimizes microscopic myocardial damage. Chronic treatment with periodic acceleration improves sports performance by promoting mitochondrial biogenesis. Periodic acceleration administered prior to an athletic event protects against exercise induced asthma. Since many athletic venues do not permit effective drugs for the treatment of asthma because of they also improve performance unrelated to alleviation of asthma, pretreatment of competitive athletes can be accomplished with periodic acceleration to prevent exercise induced asthma. Chronic periodic acceleration treatments should minimize damage that might occur with ischemic events such as stroke, coronary thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, etc.” '221 patent, Col. 21:1-19.
“In summary, periodic acceleration treatments control weight, ameliorate the metabolic syndrome, improve sports performance, and improve skeletal muscle pathology associated with the cachexia of COPD and cancers.” '221 patent, Col. 22:30-34.
While the '221 patent relies on substantial medical data to reach its conclusions, namely that whole body periodic acceleration increases the production of nitric oxide within the body, the device itself consists of a large, heavy structure that could only be used in a home or laboratory setting. The methods disclosed for using the device of the '221 patent involve administering whole body periodic acceleration to an individual involve the individual lying in a prone position. The individual's feet are attached to a platform, which is itself connected to a motor. The periodic acceleration is induced by movement of the platform through the mechanical capabilities of the motor.
The '221 patent describes numerous medical benefits gained by treatments using its whole body periodic acceleration device. Specifically, the inventor of the '221 Patent documented medical benefits for the following ailments: (A) treat and/or prevent cancer, as well as provide relieve to the unwanted side effects of cancer treatment; (B) serve as a means of preconditioning or conditioning; (C) manage obesity and weight control generally; (D) promote ventricular remodeling; (E) treat and/or prevent atrial fibrillation; (F) managing complications of coronary artery bypass surgery; (G) treat and/or prevent cognitive and learning deficits, behavioral abnormalities, and/or diseases which affect the cognitive function; (H) treat and/or prevent atherosclerosis; (I) promote angiogenesis in ischemic tissues; (J) treat and/or prevent talangiectasia; (K) treat and/or prevent migraines; (L) treat and/or prevent prion diseases; (M) manage the aging process; (N) manage Sjogren's Syndrome; (O) manage Lyme Disease; (P) manage Gulf War Syndrome; (Q) manage miscellaneous pulmonary effects; (R) treat corticosteroid resistance; (S) treat chronic otitis media; (T) promote nail growth and strength; (U) manage the side effects of cell free hemoglobin transfusions; (V) treat radiation injuries; (W) coronary artery disease; (X) diabetes mellitus; (Y) chronic heart failure; (Z) systemic hypertension; (AA) cerebrovascular accidents; (BB) pulmonary hypertension; (CC) pulmonary embolism; (DD) portal hypertension; (EE) renal failure; (FF) venous stasis; (GG) deep venous thrombosis; (HH) Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease; (II) dysmenorrhea; (JJ) pregnancy; (KK) neurological disease; (LL) psychiatric disease; (MM) pain management; (NN) sleep; (OO) glaucoma and other eye diseases; (PP) ear diseases; (QQ) lymphedema; (RR) adult respiratory distress syndrome; (SS) meconium aspiration syndrome; (TT) bone, joint and muscle disease; (UU) wound healing; (VV) HIV infection; (WW) erectile dysfunction; (XX) microgravity; inflammatory disease; (YY) oxidative stress; (ZZ) fibromyalgia; (AAA) chronic fatigue syndrome; (BBB) shock; and (CCC) Raynaud's phenomenon. '221 patent, see also U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,090,648 and 7,111,346 both to Sackner and Inman, and “Acceleration Therapeutics' AT-101 Provides Symptomatic Relief in Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia & Chronic Fatigue Syndromes,” Business Wire, Jun. 23, 2004, http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20040623005569/en/Acceleration-Therapeutics-AT-101-Symptomatic-Relief-Fibromyalgia-Chronic#.VeuLDbT5MUU, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.
In addition, nitric oxide release can also aid in the treatment of psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder. Clinical research shows that these disorders can be effectively treated with nitric oxide releasing drugs, such as nitroprusside. See generally https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_nitroprusside, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Given the enormous range of health maladies under which people suffer, there is a need to make the benefits of whole body periodic acceleration available to individuals on a smaller scale, for example, with a portable, compact device.
Of course, the idea that a smaller, more portable device could be used to increase blood flow from the lower extremities to the trunk, and heart specifically, has been discussed in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,569,213 to Busch, entitled “Orthopedic Pedal,” (“'213 patent”), the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference is also know. The '213 patent discloses a device to assist a person making voluntary movements of foot, ankle and lower leg muscles, which normally results in a “calf pump” function.
While the '213 discloses a device that is portable, it's benefits are circumscribed to individuals sitting in the same place for extended periods of time. Indeed, the '213 patent was designed for individuals who were traveling in an airplane and who may want to use a foot pedal to improve circulation by taking advantage of the effects of the Calf Pump. The '213 patent could not support the weight of an individual standing on it, for example at a standing desk. Its fulcrum is mid-foot, and therefore, it lacks the stability to support the beneficial continuous fluid motion, such as that described by Sackner in the '221 patent. Furthermore, the '213 patent is designed for a single foot, not to support both feet of an individual while he or she is standing. Moreover, the exerciser disclosed in the '213 patent does not allow for involuntary autonomic nervous system control of movements.
One of the shortcomings of most of these prior art devices is the user's attention must be invested in perpetuating balancing movements of the body's center of mass. Devices are needed that expand autonomic control of postural balance function to be the means of regulating body periodic acceleration. In these prior art devices, autonomic control of balance plays only a minor role in eliciting movement. By way of a non-limiting example, when walking on a treadmill, a user must engage his autonomic control of balance while simultaneously lifting his feet in time with the moving platform underfoot. This is challenging for many people when it is the only task they are doing. But when coupled with a standing desk, the task of walking and working becomes all the more difficult.
There is therefore a need for a portable device that could: (1) take advantage of the physical benefits realized by whole body periodic acceleration; (2) be used with comfort and ease over extended periods of time when an individual is working at his or her desk, watching television, ironing, knitting, eating, reading the newspaper, talking on the telephone, doing laundry, reading, attending a lecture, watching a movie, attending class, working at a tool bench, or otherwise engaged in an activity that heretofore would be undertaken from a sitting position; and (3) elicit the user's autonomous control of postural balance to serve as a means of perpetuating and of reinforcing movements of center of mass associated with whole body physical acceleration.